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origin definition

ori·gin (ôr′ə jin, är′-)

noun

  1. a coming into existence or use; beginning
  2. parentage; birth; lineage
  3. that in which something has its beginning; source; root; cause
  4. Anat. the less movable of the two points of attachment of a muscle, usually the end attached to the more rigid part of the skeleton
  5. Math.
    1. in a system of Cartesian coordinates, the point at which the axes intersect; base point where the abscissa and ordinate equal zero
    2. any zero reference point from which measurement begins

Etymology: ME origyne < MFr origine < L origo (gen. originis) < oriri, to rise: see orient

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical origin definition - medical

origin Synonyms

origin

n.

  1. The act of beginning

    rise, start, starting, genesis, alpha, commencement, outset, incipience, inception, initiation, nativity, dawn, introduction, embarkation, forging, entrance, ingress, entry, outbreak, onset, first move, first step, foundation, origination, authoring, ascent, first appearance, creation, induction, launching, inauguration, forming, fashioning, molding, devising, invention; see also birth 1.

    Antonyms end*, close*, termination. *

  2. The place or time of beginning

    source, root, beginning, inception, spring, issue, fountain, inlet, derivation, etymology, provenance, provenience, stem, shoot, twig, sapling, portal, door, gate, gateway, fountainhead, wellspring, springhead, font, fount, well, fons et origo (Latin), birthplace, square one*, omphalos*, cradle*, nest*, womb*, hotbed*, reservoir*, forge*, dawn*, infancy*, babyhood*, childhood*, youth. *

    Antonyms result*, outcome*, issue. *

  3. Cause

    seed, germ, stock, parentage, ancestry, parent, ancestor, genesis, raison d'être (French), egg, sperm, embryo, principle, element, nucleus, first cause, First Great Cause, author, creator, heart, prime mover, primum mobile (Latin), begetter, progenitor, producer, determinant, agent, leaven, mainspring, causality, causation, impulse, source, influence, prime motive, generator, ultimate cause, remote cause, occasion, root, first act, spring, antecedent, motive, inducement, activation, inspiration.

    Antonyms result*, consequence*, conclusion.

origin is applied to that from which a person or thing has its very beginning the origin of a word; source is applied to the point or place from which something arises, comes, or develops the sun is our source of energy; beginning is the basic general term for a starting point or place the beginning of a quarrel; inception is specifically applied to the beginning of an undertaking, organization, etc. Smith headed the business from its inception; root suggests an origin so deep and basic as to be the ultimate cause from which something stems to get to the root of the matter


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

origin Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • universe: Problems with the Hot Big Bang Conventional ideas fail to explain or even describe the ultimate origin of the universe.

Converse of object

  • trace: My principal interest at the moment is in tracing the origin of the family name.

Adjective modifier

  • ethnic: JL: He should be sent back to his land of ethnic origin.

Modifies a noun

  • B2: The Origin B2 is feature rich with a number of different options available to the user.

Noun used with modifier

  • pagan: First, some object on the basis that Christmas trees have pagan origins.
origin usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

origin quotes

We must however acknowledge, as it seems to me, that man with all his noble qualities†still bears in his bodily frame the indelible stamp of his lowly origin.

-Darwin, Charles Robert

If the universe had a beginning, its beginning, by the very condition of the cases, was supernatural; the laws of Nature cannot account for their own origin.

-Mill,John Stuart

This sense of wonder is the mark of the philosopher. Philosophy indeed has no other origin.

-Socrates

origin quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"origin." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/origin>

APA Style

origin. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/origin

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